Kagome & Miroku: Forbidden Games
by Identity-Unknown
Summary: A Collection of OneShots revolving around the Kagome&Miroku pairing. Lime Warning for future 'chapters'.
1. Chapter 1

**_Kagome & Miroku: Forbidden Games_**

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**Summary: **A Collection of One-Shots revolving around the Kagome/Miroku pairing. (They are not necessarily connected unless noted)!

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**A/N: **(**Warnings** for _Possible Lemons, Definite Limes _- so stay away if you have allergies. Under 17? Pretend you never saw this fic, and kindly back out. Thanks. Also, I have come to the conclusion that while Kagome is kinda' OOC, Miroku is either dead-on-balls accurate, or completely out-of-character - you decide. This is the first-half of a One-Shot I decided to post in two-parts since it ran on so long. Part two will be up soon, followed by other, separate One-Shots - _I_ _hope_! And please note, this is entirely self-beta-ed - is that a word? - so please forgive any mistakes I missed). _Please, love me...:wah: _

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_**Diabolical Amusement - Part One**_

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If there was one thing Miroku knew well about himself, it was that once he got what he wanted, he was quite easily bored with it. However, Miroku did not suspect that he would ever become bored with the Lady Kagome, and that was more than just a little alarming.

Actually, it was _beyond_ alarming, this emotion, this feeling he was experiencing - _had_ been experiencing, ever since he'd met up with the bizarre, shard-obssessed hanyou and his fascinating, half-dressed female ally. He'd been having wicked thoughts about her, and had, in his mind, had his use of her in at least a hundred different ways, for days now.

It was...frustrating. No, no, there wasn't a word to describe the violence of the emotion he felt. Here she was, the perfect female to bear his much-needed son, and he couldn't get within an arm's reach of her without a certain hanyou threatening to cut his fingers - and other important parts, those more imperative for procreation - off. He'd been waiting forever, it seemed. With InuYasha, and the cute-but-annoying little fox kit around, he hadn't felt free to declare his 'feelings' to Kagome - and no, the groping most definitely did _not _count, although one touch of the miko's delectable, delightfully-youthfully-resilient flesh had caused him to suffer through a number of wonderfully realistic dreams, and had him waking more often than not to an almost painful morning -

"- wood," said InuYasha bluntly.

"Huh?" Miroku snapped out of his erotic reverie, his ardor deflating as swiftly as it had arisen thanks to the gruff male voice directed his way.

"I said, 'it's too early to start collecting firewood'." InuYasha looked at him with blatant mistrust. "The stupid wench over there wants to stop, an' it's not even sunset!"

"Actually, the sun _will_ be setting soon, but I didn't say I wanted to stop, InuYasha! Baka! I only said there was some nice, dry wood along this path, and maybe we should take some with us in case there isn't any where we DO stop for the night!" Kagome sent a dirty look the dog demon's way as she glared back over her shoulder at him. Huffing, she gave the riding machine she was pushing an un-necessarily hard shove as she manuevered it over the rough, root-laden forest path they were currently travelling.

"I didn't say you had to carry it, either! I could just tie it to the back of my bike!"

"Keh! Whatever!" The hanyou's voice dripped with impatience and contempt. "We're in a freakin' 'forest', Kagome! _There's-wood-every-where_!"

Miroku sweat-dropped a little. Did they really have to keep saying 'that' word?

"Anyway, I dunno' why you don't just let me carry your 'bi-cycle' thingee - you know I'll just end up with it anyway when you get tired, an' besides, you're just slowing us down. We could have gone twice as far today if you hadn't insisted on keeping that useless piece of - "

"_Inu-Yash-a! Osuwari!"_

Grateful for a quiet moment while the dog was digging - _and how appropriate _- himself out of the soft forest floor, Miroku took the opportunity to catch up with Kagome and attatch himself to her side.

"Um, sorry, Miroku," Kagome said with a rueful, tinkling little laugh, "I bet you're getting really tired of listening to me and InuYasha argue, huh? It makes for a really _looong_ trip," she sighed.

Miroku almost sighed right along with her, but she wasn't the one he was tired of being around. Instead he smiled gently and said, "Actually, it makes the days of weary travelling - interesting."

Kagome laughed again, the pleasant sound running down his spine, and setting his skin to tingling. When Miroku looked at her smugly from the corner of his eye, he saw the way her pert young breasts bounced slightly under her white clothing. The small slants of golden, late-afternoon sunlight that the thick foliage of the forest allowed through, highlighted them perfectly, showing a hint of something else beneath that was white, and lace-edged, and that hugged her skin like a glove.

Miroku caught his breath, and had to force himself to look away before she caught him staring. It was 'that thing' that had been driving him mad ever since he'd first encountered her. When he'd first battled InuYasha, and caught her, and been temporarily knocked unconscious, it had been that curious, sinful-looking garment under her unusually thin clothing that he had first looked at when he'd woken up.

Well, _that_, he amended to himself, and the other odd, but indescribably sexy bit of nothing that he'd felt encasing her rear under the short skirt she wore when he'd first groped her.

"Miroku-sama?"

Miroku swallowed to clear his throat of the saliva pooling into his mouth at the memory of that not-so-long-ago day, and forced a smile to his lips once again.

"Are you alright?" Kagome asked worriedly.

Miroku briefly closed his eyes to savor the moment. Ah, but her concern for him was such a sweet thing...

"I apologize. I was just thinking - are you certain you wish for me to travel along with you, Kagome-sama? Your...guardian appears to be none too pleased with this arrangement - and besides, there are many things you still do not know about me."

"Oh, I don't know about that, Miroku - I mean, for instance, I know that you want to keep your hand attatched to your wrist, right?" Kagome said far too sweetly.

Miroku sighed sadly, the sound long and heartfelt. His straying hand twitched where it strongly grasped her behind. "I suppose you are right."

"Then _please_ get it back where it belongs - and whatever it is that you're thinking about, stop it right now!"

Miroku badly wished to argue that his hand most definitely felt like it _was_ right where it belonged, but he didn't think she would agree. He lifted both hands into the air in a gesture of innocence. "It slipped! Kagome-sama, please, do not think so lowly of me. I _am_ a monk, after all. I was just wondering, yet again, why a miko such as yourself is companion to such an _unpleasant_ demon?" Miroku shook his head as if at the greatest shame.

"_Oi, monk, I heard that!"_

Kagome ignored him. "A half-demon," she corrected absently as she moved a branch out of her face.

Miroku hummed thoughtfully. "As you say. But, who would ever have thought such a thing possible? Clearly it is divine intervention that brought us together. Perhaps I am here to act as your protector, Kagome-sama."

"Keh! Yeah, sure, an' who's gonna' protect her from 'you'?" InuYasha snorted as he suddenly jumped between them and forced Miroku to step back. "In case you failed to notice, monk, I was here first. If _you're _her protector, then what am _I_ doin' here?"

Miroku rested a thoughtful hand on his chin as he pretended to think. "Hm, let's see...well, all gentle, innocent young women enjoy soft and fluffy things - you have only to look to Kagome's adoption of Shippou for proof of that. Obviously, with your appearance, InuYasha, it is only natural that Kagome-sama has taken a liking to you." He closed his eyes with a regretful sigh.

"I must admit, though, I _am_ somewhat jealous of your relationship; but since I would compare your kinship to that of a loving owner and her - er, somewhat _distempered_ pet, I remain confident in Kagome-sama's faithfuness to me, and unoffended by your closeness to eachother." Miroku kept his face blank of expression, but his jewel-bright eyes were openly smirking when he opened them to glance side-long at the dog demon.

_That_ had InuYasha turning red and sputtering incoherently - which pleased Miroku to no end, for that was the exact reaction he had been driving towards.

"_PET?"_

"InuYasha," Kagome called threateningly.

"A-and how dare you talk about Kagome as if she belongs to you - she's _mine_!"InuYasha blurted, and then hastily back-tracked, ears lowering to hide amongst the silver fluff atop his head. His wide eyes flashed like gilt as they darted nervously to Kagome, whose step faltered a little as she continued to walk in front of them. "I-I mean, that is...she's mine to - to protect! Yeah, she's _my_ Jewel-Detector, so _I'm _the one who'll protect her, got that!"

Kagome's back went stiff suddenly, and she turned on them, flashing such a striking scowl that it made the tiny hairs on the sensitive nape of Miroku's neck stand on-end. Unlike many women, she _was_ quite lovely when she was angry...

"InuYasha! I swear, if you call me 'that' one more time - !"

InuYasha cringed slightly, but stood his ground. Miroku had to give him credit for that, at least.

"I'm tellin' ya', this guy can't be trusted, Kagome!" The crimson-clad hanyou pointed a clawed finger accusingly. "You heard him! Talking about you as if he owns you - "

"He's doing it to get a rise out of you, InuYasha!" Kagome snapped, blowing out an exasperated breath. "He's baiting you beacause he knows how you'll react, okay? He does it beacause he knows you're going to get all defensive and uptight, and...well," her pink lips quirked upwards, "it _is_ kinda' funny -"

"K-Kagome!" InuYasha's jaw dropped as he stared at her with a vaguely betrayed expression.

"Sorry, InuYasha...just ignore him, okay?" the girl said airily as she turned to face forward again, leaving InuYasha spluttering in outrage. "Can we just move on already?"

"Certainly, Kagome-sama." Miroku stepped forward as if to follow, careful to keep a devout look on his face while inside he was chuckling with nothing less than sheer merriment. He'd just lifted his staff to his shoulder when an incensed InuYasha appeared in front of him again, impeding his movement.

"Wait, I'm not done with you, yet, monk! You can't stake a claim on Kagome like that and just walk away!"

"Hmm...then you wish to challenge me for her?" Miroku barely stifled a snort of amusement when the hanyou once again demonstrated his hunted, panicked expression.

"Don't you guys _dare_ start fighting back there!" Kagome shouted in warning from a good distance ahead of them.

InuYasha growled low in frustration. It was clear he wished nothing more than to draw his monstrosity of a sword and send Miroku straight to Hell, but his 'fear' of the miko's power over him was staying his hand - just barely.

"Just do yourself a favor and stay away from her, understand?" InuYasha muttered threateningly. "Or better yet, why don't you just leave? You got nothin' to gain from traveling with us."

Miroku lifted one brow. _Oh, and didn't he?_

"Wasn't it her _desire_ that I remain with you?" Miroku's eyebrow climbed higher on his forehead as his intentional emphaisis on the word 'desire' verbally cuffed the hanyou. "I will leave only if, and when Kagome-sama wishes it. Until then, I will remain to watch over her."

"Keh, bastard! You just want the jewel shards!"

"Not entirely so - there are many things I want, but then I'm sure you are conscious of this," Miroku said suggestively.

"_Why, you sick son-of-a-"_

"I want Naraku's head, for one,", Miroku interrupted smoothly. "With our powers combined, I am sure that if nothing else, we can keep Kagome-sama safe, and that loathesome, wretched beast Naraku from re-creating the Shikon jewel."

"'Safe'? _You_ can't keep her safe, not with that stinkin' hole in your right hand threatening to suck everyone and everything up at any given time! _I'm _the one who she feels safest with, just ask her!"

"Well, let's just ask her, then - Kagome-sama?" Miroku called.

"Oh, don't _even_ involve me in this," they heard Kagome groan faintly as she paused on the trail ahead, massaging her temples.

Miroku felt his lips twitch as he stepped neatly around the hanyou and caught up to the fed-up miko. "Pray, just humor me. Which of us do you feel safer with?"

"Hmph. Between the two of _you_? Hmm..." Kagome made a show of tapping her finger thoughtfully against her chin.

"Well?" InuYasha snarled impatiently as he roughly shouldered past Miroku.

Kagome's eyes narrowed a little as she regarded the two of them. "Let's just say...I think 'safe' is better off being just a state-of-mind where the two of you are concerned."

Shippou snickered from within the depths of her backpack. The cute, unexpected little noise made Kagome lose her stern face, and abruptly giggle.

Miroku sighed again. Apparently the little kit who also seemed to have a claim on Kagome, was now wide awake. Ah, how bothersome...

InuYasha was blinking, beginning to realize he had just been not-so subtly insulted.

"_Oi, what's that supposed to mean!"_

"It means I'm tired and starving!" Kagome announced, punching a fist cheerily into the air. "I vote we set up camp!"

Shippou appeared, hopping from the pack to sit on the padded seat of the garish pink _bi-cycle _that Kagome pushed. "Yeah, me too! I'm tired and starving, too!"

InuYasha and Miroku looked from the comfy nest the kit had made on a towel in the top of the backpack - and had remained in _all-day-long _- to the trail of sticky candy boxes, the wrappers littering it, and Shippou's stained clothing, and for once shared a look of commiseration and complete understanding.

_**- - - - - **_

"Come on, runt, let's go fishing."

"_Wha-at? _InuYasha, you're gonna' leave Kagome alone with 'the pervert'!"

Miroku sent the kit a dark look from beneath his lashes that sent him scrambling for the dubious cover of Kagome's hair. The kit peeked out at him with wide green eyes as he snuggled against the nape of her neck - the area considered to be a woman's most erotic visible place - and Miroku felt _so_ resentful toward the child in that moment...

"Keh, she'll be fine - she 'trusts' him, remember?" InuYasha sneered, mocking Kagome's voice.

"But - "

InuYasha raised a threatening fist. "I swear m'gonna' thump you! You're askin' for it! Move it, brat - don't think you're gonna' laze around camp while I do all the work!"

"But - but - _waaah_! Kagome!" Shippou tweaked Kagome's hair in protest, and she lifted him down.

"Please help InuYasha, Shippou," she surprised them all by saying sternly. "Besides, the more you do, the faster we'll all be able to eat, okay?"

After much pouting, Shippou reluctantly left, trailing after InuYasha down to the banks of the river.

Shaking her head as she heard Shippou and InuYasha almost immediately start arguing, Kagome set about setting up camp for the night. Miroku had made himself useful collecting dry branches for firewood, and she helped him start the fire before retrieving her backpack and pulling open the draw-string to reach inside and search for her small kettle to collect water for boiling.

"_Ow!"_

"Kagome?"

Kagome winced as she pulled her hand out of her bag. A long, deep slice marked her right palm, and she gasped when she saw it, afraid she'd need stitches.

"Ugh, I _hate_ needles!" she whimpered, instinctively closing her hand into a fist to both hide the sight and slow the bleeding.

"Kagome-sama! Your hand!"

Kagome looked up weakly as Miroku hurriedly knelt beside her.

She wasn't a wimp, but darn, that cut _really_ stung...!

"What happened?" he asked, pulling her arm to rest across his thigh as he bent his head to examine the injury.

"I, uh...I think Shippou might have accidentally pulled my sewing scissors out of their case when he was looking for that pocky earlier," she explained, making a face as the monk tried to pry her hand open. "Don't say anything, or he'll feel bad."

"I won't, if you don't want me to, but he really should be more careful," Miroku murmured with a dark frown. He shot her a reproachful glance from the corner of his eye. "Relax, Kagome, I can't see anything with your fingers all knotted up like that."

"_Ooh, don't look!" _Kagome closed her eyes tight as he gently, but firmly uncurled her fingers. She hissed as the skin stretched taut and made the wound throb even more. It was making her feel a little sick, now, especially since she could feel her heartbeat pounding in the middle of the wound...

"Oh, ew, I can't stand it...I think I'm gonna' be sick," she moaned woozily. That was what she got for focusing on it too much!

"Just take a deep breath, Kagome-sama," Miroku said soothingly near her shoulder as he bent his head over her hand. "I don't think it will need stitching, _bu-ut_..."

Kagome tried to calm herself, and took a deep breath before slowly exhaling. The scent of something familiar tickled her nose, and she frowned a little, concentrating as she kept her eyes closed. She focused as she breathed in again, and found herself savoring the clean, tinlgling scent that was cool, yet comfortingly warm at the same time. It resembled a scent she already knew, but couldn't place. It was...nice. So nice, in fact, that she leaned a little closer to the source of it, sniffing deeply, and then sighing.

"Er...Kagome-sama?"

"Hmm. Miroku...you smell _so good_." Kagome sighed again, smiling happily as her nerves were soothed.

Meanwhile, Miroku was tugging at her hand, and she slowly opened her eyes to his slightly troubled deep-violet ones.

"Kagome? I took the liberty of going through your 'First-Aid' - did I apply these bandages correctly?"

The embarassment was a long moment in coming when she realized she practically had her face buried in the neck of the monk's robes, but eventually, it did come, and her cheeks burned with a vengeance as she squeaked faintly, and drew back.

"Kagome-sama?" Miroku's voice took on a low purr. The capricious breeze chose that moment to blow up and brush the end of his dragontail against her cheek, and she shivered.

_Yipes! _Kagome swallowed and forced herself to look down at her hand. She looked at the carefully cleaned cut in a daze, noting the four neat butterfly strips holding the angry red skin together.

"Uhhhm...it looks great, Miroku!" she said brightly, clearing her throat. She fumbled for the fist-aid kit he'd retrieved from her bag while she'd been _sniffing_ him - _oh, Kami-sama! _- and clumsily tried to open a tube of antibiotic salve one-handed before he deftly removed it from her hand.

"Allow me," Miroku said smoothly, expertly twisting the cap off the small tube (it was just like her toothpaste after all, and he'd taken quite a liking to the habit of brushing his teeth with it and her spare toothbrush daily, unlike InuYasha and Shippou, who couldn't bear the strong taste), and carefully applying it, before wrapping a length of clean white gauze around her hand.

"There," he said, tying off the knot in a neat bow like the one in his robes. "Good as new - or almost, anyway."

Kagome's cheeks were still flushed as she stared at her hand. Why did she suddenly feel so bashful around him? She could barely lift her head to look at him.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"It was my pleasure, Kagome...sama," Miroku murmured deeply, belatedly adding the honorific.

Thankfully, the tension was broken when InuYasha suddenly crashed into camp, shaking water from his hair and clothes.

Kagome shrieked as the cold water sprayed her, and Miroku stood up, eyeing the hanyou disdainfully as he brushed a hand over his own dripping face.

"Oi, what the hell happened here, Monk? Why the hell do I smell Kagome's blood?"

"Kagome-sama - "

"I just cut my hand by accident, InuYasha, really, it's no big deal. Look, it's already bandaged, see?" Kagome held her hand up for inspection, hiding a wince of pain when it throbbed faintly. "Did you get any fish?" she asked before InuYasha could say anything further.

InuYasha was reluctant to change the subject. "Yeah, the runt's bringing 'em. Are you sure your hand is okay, Kagome?"

His concern made her smile. Not trusting herself with words, Kagome nodded. "Mm-hmm!"

The half-demon shifted uncomfortably at the warm gratitude in her eyes. "Well, good. You won't have any trouble cooking dinner, then, will ya'?"

Kagome's warm sense of happiness froze and snapped with a crack.

"_Why, you - !"_

"Kagome-sama, do not think of it. You cannot prepare a meal with such an injury." Miroku waited a beat before cutting his eyes at InuYasha. "I am certain _InuYasha_ would not mind cooking for us."

"_The hell...? _I ain't cooking for you, ya' damn fake-ass monk!"

"InuYasha!"

"What? There ain't no way - besides, what's to keep _him_ from doing the cooking, anyway? He looks - feh - _clever_ enough." InuYasha turned his nose up as he stuffed his hands in his sleeves.

"Clever enough to purify your crude, half-demon ass," Miroku grumbled out the corner of his mouth.

Kagome's mouth fell open before she shut it with a snap to smother an unexpected laugh.

InuYasha's hackles went up as he pointedly cracked his knuckles. "What's that, monk? Wanna' say it again?"

"Sadly, I am not in the habit of repeating myself, InuYasha. Listen harder next time," the monk said moodily.

InuYasha cracked his knuckles. "WHAT! Why you, I'm gonna' - "

Annoyed beyond belief by the harsh-mannered hanyou, Miroku forced a peaceful expression.

"Surely you do not wish for _me_ to cook. Aren't you concerned that I may attempt to poison you, InuYasha, and take Kagome-sama for my own?"

"Feh, you couldn't poison me, I'd smell it a mile aw - _wait, what the fuck do you mean, take Kagome for your own!"_

"Ugh! Will you stop yelling, InuYasha? He's just kidding," Kagome added carelessly as she lifted a small kettle in her uninjured hand.

_'She think's that I'm not serious? Ah, such delicious innocence,' _Miroku thought to himself, barely containing a smirk.

"Anyway, I don't have to cook, not really. If you don't want the fish, all we have to do is build a fire and fill the kettle with water. I brought you ramen, remember?" Kagome reminded them.

"Huh? You're gonna' give _him_ 'my' ramen, now? No way! I hafta' work hard to get that stuff!"

"What do you mean! _I_ buy it for you, you dummy!" Kagome said hotly.

"Well, I hafta' put up with _you_ to get it, don't I?" InuYasha snapped thoughtlessly

Miroku only just managed not to wince. Really, the hanyou _had_ to work on his conversational skills. Either that, or become a permanent part of the earth's surface...

"_Oooh! InuYasha! Osuwari!"_

"_Kago - Gya-ah!"_

_**- - - - - **_

In the end, Shippou helped Miroku stake the fish on sharpened sticks over the fire while InuYasha grudgingly returned to the river to fetch water for tea.

"Ooh, don't let the fish burn, Kagome!" Shippou cautioned excitedly as he hungrily watched the flames.

"Oi, who cares if it's a little burnt - _everything_ tastes good when you're hungry!" InuYasha loudly proclaimed as he approached with the water. "If you were starving, you'd even eat it raw."

Shippou made a face, but kept from making comment by the serious look on Miroku's face, and his solemn nod of silent agreement with InuYasha's statement.

Kagome, who was watching, felt her heart ache for both of her new friends - apparently InuYasha wasn't the only one who had often gone hungry in the past. She sighed. _Her poor boys_...but she wouldn't feel sorry for them, not when she knew they'd hate it (well, _Miroku_ might take advantage of it), andespescially not whenshe was around to take care of them, now.

It was later, after everyone in their small group was satisfied - if not exactly _full_ - that the subject of the jewel shard Kagome had sensed in this direction the day before came up.

"Oi, can you sense anything now that we are closer, Kagome?" InuYasha asked over the campfire flames.

"Well, I guess," Kagome said carefully. Truthfully, it had been bothering her all day, this shard they were hunting.

"Whaddya' mean, 'I guess'?" InuYasha barked.

"I mean, it's weird. I think," she frowned concentrating, "I think there are actually two of them - maybe more."

_"What?"_

"Truly, Kagome-sama?"

Kagome bit her lip, but nodded. "It's hard to tell - I think they're very close together - but separated."

"'Close but separate'? That doesn't make any sense," InuYasha sniffed.

"It does if there is more than one demon with a jewel shard around," Miroku said darkly.

"Do you really think there are that many that close, Kagome?" Shippou asked with a yawn.

Kagome nodded again. "Yep. In fact, I'm pretty sure there are at least three, now. But they're moving in different directions," she sighed. "By the time we get close, tomorrow, they'll probably be far away from eachother. We'll have to start the search for them one-by-one all over again."

"Aw, so close!" Shippou cried, shaking a little hand.

"Forget that!" InuYasha soared up, the fire making dark patterns on his determined face as he put one hand on the hilt of his sword and stared at them. "If we move now, we can get 'em all by morning!"

Kagome groaned. "Are you crazy? It's pitch black in this forest! You and Shippou might be able to see, but what about me and Miroku?"

"Kagome-sama is right, InuYasha." Miroku nodded sagely. "Besides, she is injured, and tired, and quite frankly, I do not feel up to the task at this very moment either. It is senseless to go now. Let us leave it until tomorrow, after we have all rested."

"Aw, hell, she has one little cut on her hand! She's fine! Besides, I can carry her, and the runt has fox-fire to gui- "

"No, I'm not going anywhere tonight, InuYasha!" Kagome yawned, protesting. "My hand is sore, and I'm exhausted from today. Let's just wait."

"No way, I ain't lettin' Naraku get his dirty hands on _my_ jewel shards! I'm goin' now, so get up off your ass, or I'm leavin' without ya'!"

Kaome stood up, looked at InuYasha's fierce, glowing eyes in the firelight, and turned her back on him, stomping towards her backpack. "Fine, go then! Good luck finding those shards without me! _Hmph_!"

Miroku looked at the two with knowing eyes, and felt a twinge of excitement. InuYasha was staring at Kagome with a dumbfounded expression, almost as if he couldn't believe she would dare choose to stay behind instead of coming with him.

"Kagome - "

"Yes, perhaps you should get a head start without us, InuYasha," Miroku interrupted craftily, standing up. "Obviously the completion of the gem is what is most important to you. You mustn't let mere mortals stand in your way. The rest of us can always catch up to you in the morning. You may even return before we wake up." _A little flattery never hurt..._

"Keh. Don't think I don't know what you're up to, monk," the demon grumbled, arms crossing. His tapping foot gave away his eagerness to go, though, and Miroku gleefully pounced on the weakness.

"She will be safe with me, InuYasha. Even in these turbulent times, monks are generally left in peace."

"Just go, InuYasha," Kagome said wearily from the shadows where she'd laid out her 'sleeping bag'.

She sounded so saddened that Miroku would've gladly risked death and punched the demon, had he not needed so desperately to be rid of him.

InuYasha's vibrant eyes went slightly dull as he cast a troubled glance toward the shadows - and then he turned on Miroku, and showed him a wealth of sharp, white fang.

"Yeah, well, if you try anything with Kagome while I'm gone, I'll leave ya' _in pieces, _you hear me, monk?" He swiped a claw at him in warning.

"InuYasha." Miroku shook his head, as if ashamed the hanyou would think such a thing of him.

Kagome sat up and threw her hair out of her face, fairly screaming with annoyance. "Would you stop it and go, InuYasha? Miroku-sama _is_ a monk, after all. He's not going to throw me to the wolves while you're gone!"

InuYasha glared at the monk. It clearly wasn't wolves he was worried about!

Miroku only smiled back in return, his own white teeth bared and suddenly seeming far too sharp for InuYasha's liking, his friendly and open expression clashing with the diabolical amusement that danced in his dark eyes.

"He's no monk, he's just a common thief - no better than a bandit! _An_' he's a lecher!"

"InuYasha, you wound me!"

"Yeah, really, InuYasha! Don't be so mean!" Kagome added.

InuYasha finally left, growling under his breath, _"Lecher, thief...gotta' be the worst monk ever! What a fraud!"_

_'And you are the one leaving her alone with me,' _Miroku thought a little cruelly.

Kagome sighed from her bed, obviously feeling compelled to apologize on InuYasha's behalf.

"I'm sorry, Miroku-sama. InuYasha is just very...distrustful."

"Yeah, with reason," Shippou muttered from somewhere next to Kagome.

"Go to sleep, Shippou," Kagome said chastisingly.

"Hu-uh! No way! I can't leave you alone with _that_ guy!"

Miroku grunted._ 'Meddling kid'._

"It's perfectly understandable,"he said aloud, solemnly. "People tend to believe what they wish, whether or not it is true."

Kagome blushed a little, and then cleared her throat. In Miroku's case, it probably _was_ true...

"Sadly, it is those who are cruel to us in life whom we tend to remember most. I think that InuYasha has many memories like that," Miroku explained grimly.

It was silent for a long while, aside from the popping crackle of the fire, and the usual sounds of the nighttime forest, when a loud, obnoxious snore rent the air.

Kagome laughed softly. "I think Shippou is finally asleep."

_'Hmph, some watchdog he is,' _Miroku thought sourly. But, ah, well, if the fox was finally asleep, it was all the more to the good. It was time to start the grand seduction...and he had all night to accomplish the task...

_**- - - - - **_

_**(To be Continued in Part Two) Soon!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Kagome & Miroku: Forbidden Games**_

_**- - - - - **_

_**Diabolical Amusement - Part Two**_

_**- - - - - **_

Kagome didn't start getting nervous about being left alone with the still somewhat mysterious monk until she caught him watching her from his resting position against the trunk of a large tree across the campfire from her. A little unnerved, even though she knew he could see little more of her than her eyes in the dark, she scooted a bit closer to Shippou, and subtly nudged her arrow and bow nearer to her sleeping bag. She remained sitting up, and glanced across the fire again to see him now sitting in a meditative position, eyes closed. That wasn't alarming in itself, but she immediately noticed that the elaborate knot in his purple robes had come perilously close to being undone, and in fact, seemed to be in danger of slipping completely free even as she looked on!

Blushing, she dove into her sleeping bag, burying her face in her blankets, and tried to calm the fierce beating in her chest. Soon though, she felt unbearably compelled to look out again. She fought the urge for a long time before she heard a quiet groan, and the painful crack of a stiff joint being stretched from across the fire...

_**- - - - - **_

Miroku watched Kagome's antics across the firelight, noting the nervous doubt suddenly playing across her face as she finally realized she alone with him now that he little fox kit was asleep.

The look of doubt had him rethinking his position, but only for a moment. After all, she had already shown him that although she may be innocent, she was more than receptive to him.

Recalling the way she'd leaned into his side earlier, Miroku was unable to stifle a groan as a hot streak of arousal shuddered through him.

_'I must find a way to get closer to her,' _he thought desperately, and that, of course, was when providence struck.

_**- - - - - **_

Concern overcoming her discomfort, Kagome brushed her hair from her face and cautiously sat up. "Miroku?"

"Yes, Kagome-sama?" A pained hiss followed his response.

Kagome crawled out of her bag and crossed the campsite without a second thought. "Are you okay, Miroku? What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing to concern yourself with - it's just...a rather painful cramp."

Kagome froze. Slowly, she put her hands on her hips and glared down at him. "Oh, really, you _must_ be kidding me! Did you really think I was going to fall for that 'Ow-I-have-a-cramp' line? That's _so_ tired - "

Miroku made a noise that sounded like he was dying, and her eyebrows flew up.

Kagome sighed, lowered herself to sit next to him, and looked on with drowsy eyes. "Where is it? Your leg?" she asked, resigned.

Miroku's hands were slowly massaging his right calf muscle, his face taut with pain. "Yes."

"Um...try stretching it," she suggested, still hesitant to get too close to him. Who knew what kind of trick he was trying to pull?

"I already...tried that," the monk groaned.

Kagome looked at his face - his eyes were hidden beneath the fall of his dark hair, and his jaw and mouth were both pulled taut.

"Um, try stretching it by pointing with your heel instead of your toes," she suggested again. "It always works for me."

"How is that?" he looked over at her, apparently confused. The agony in his eyes looked too real to be faked, so Kagome shifted closer, and put her hands on his, tugging them away from leg. His hands felt large, and rough, but warm - long-fingered, well-shaped, and elegant - her fingertips brushed the glove and beads on his right hand, and she blanched a little, recalling why they were there. He felt so alive and solid, and real right now...

"Kagome-sama?" he murmured near her ear.

"Um, right!" Startled by the roughness in his smooth voice, she moved her trembling hands down the tight muscles of his leg, flushing a little as she felt the warm, silky hairs slide against her palms and fingers. When she came to his foot, she slipped off his sandal and grasped the back of his heel and tilted it upward. "See? Stretch it from here - no, no, _don't _point your toes."

"Alrigh - _ah_!" Miroku leaned back on his arms, gritting his teeth.

"It'll go away soon, I promise," she instinctively soothed, pushing upward on the ball of his foot. After a few tense moments, Miroku seemed to ease, and he sighed with relief, falling back to rest against the tree.

"Okay, now?" Kagome let go of his foot and sat back on her heels, placing her still unsteady hands on the tops of her knees.

"Yes - but only because of your good will, Kagome-sama." _Seemingly_ by accident, Miroku stretched out a hand to pat her reassuringly - and ended up rubbing the slope of her breast instead.

Kagome ground her teeth as a vein popped out on her forehead. _"Mir-o-ku..."_

Miroku glanced over and arched a brow. "Hm?"

"_Hand_," Kagome bit out.

Miroku looked confused - until she reached up and batted his hand away. He looked at her, and then at his hand, as if in surprise, and sat up. "Kagome-sama, you misunderstand me."

Kagome stuck her nose in the air, stood up, and turned away. "Hmph."

"Truly, I did not intend - "

"Whatever. I am going to sleep - on MY side of the fire. _You_ stay on _yours_! Understand?"

"Please, Kagome-sama, stay."

"No way, are you kidding? I _knew_ I should have gone with InuYasha!"

"_What must I do to earn your trust, Kagome-sama?" Miroku looked up at her with a earnest, wounded expression and her resolve melted._

"If I promise to sit here with you, do you absolutely _swear_ not to grope me, or otherwise lay hands on my person in any manner?"

"You have my promise."

Kagome sighed and sat down beside him again with a graceless thump.

"Well," she sighed after a awkward silence, "I guess we should get some sleep."

Miroku seemed to have other plans.

"Kagome-sama?"

Automatically she turned her head to look at him - and his head blocked out the firelight as he leaned in and captured her lips with his.

Kagome squeaked in surprise as his lips explored hers, warm, gently brushing...he tasted faintly of mint and green tea. Her heart thundered. The kiss was so soft, his scent so delicious that it made her dizzy.

She was swaying towards him when he opened his mouth slightly and licked her lips with his warm, wet tongue, and she was startled into moving back.

Miroku titled his head to one side, watching her quietly but with excitement burning in his eyes.

Kagome, still stunned, lifted a hand to her lips to rub her fingers across them. _'He-he...he kissed me! Miroku!'_

"I thought you swore you wouldn't touch me!" she burst out.

Miroku studied her reddened lips with a bemused expression. "Ah, but I swore not to to 'lay my hands on your person in any manner'. You didn't forbid me to lay...other parts of me on you."

Kagome sighed unsteadily. Of course, what was he supposed to think, after the way she'd practically thrown herself at him when he was treating her hand, earlier.

"I - whatever. Just don't do it again, okay?" she told him nervously, tucking her arms against her chest.

Miroku only smiled.

She was embarrassed beyond belief a few silent minutes later when he caught her watching him as he absently slid a hand inside the fold of his simple black robes and scratched at his smooth, lean-muscled chest. Kagome turned red and looked away, ashamed of herself for staring, but there had been something so essentially and beautifully - _male_ about the simple action, that it had taken her breath away.

"If you are in need, may I humbly offer my services, Kagome-sama?" Miroku said smoothly, taking her un-injured hand in a gentle, yet unbreakable hold.

Kagome's right eye twitched violently.

"Indeed, it would be my honor to lay myself down for your pleasure."

Somehow, Kagome managed not to slap him. In fact, she managed to turn down his offer very politely.

Miroku, of course, seemed to take this as his due. He nodded, and bowed, his expression serene, but the wicked twinkle in his eyes belied him.

"Very well, Kagome-sama. Just remember - you need only to say my name, and I will attend you with all haste." He paused and looked at her intently, his voice dropping a seductive notch.

"Of course, be assured that my getting to you would be the only thing I do hastily, Kagome-sama."

Kagome swallowed a squeal, and fought the urge to cover her more feminine parts from his warm gaze. _Freaky hentai!_ Why was he smiling at her like that? Kami-sama, she felt she was in danger of becoming spontaneously pregnant just from him _looking_ at her that way!

Miroku winked at her, a sly, border-line-obscene sort of wink, and Kagome bit her lip, and looked away, and tried to tell herself it was nonsense. She knew it wasn't possible for a man to get her pregnant by just looking at her, but the heat and intent in the monk's dark gaze at that moment made her doubt her her very modern, twentieth-century common sense.

Kagome stood up. "I - I'm going to, uh - freshen up a little! I need privacy for a few minutes, okay?"

Miroku stood and quickly approached her. "Wait! I can't let you go by yourself."

"Um, Miroku-sama...I kind of _need_ to go by myself," Kagome half-grumbled, half-whined. _'Please, let him get the hint without me having to explain!'_ she thought with a sense of excruciating embarassment as she turned to walk away.

Moving slightly forward, bending a bit at the waist, Miroku waited patiently until her hair had slipped over one shoulder and exposed her neck, and then blew a warm breath lightly against her sensitive nape.

Kagome shivered, and her muscles jumped in response.

"Such a forceful reaction to my nearness - dare I hope it is because you have fallen for me, Kagome-sama?" Miroku murmured through a smug little smile.

"_Mir-o-ku! _Just go away!" Kagome gave a last shiver and quickly disappeared behind a thicket of dense bushes.

Miroku's answering, wicked grin was so wide and white it almost glowed in the darkness, but Kagome didn't see it, and he didn't allow it to be heard in his voice. She truly had no idea what he was planning for her, heh...everything was working out so well already! He was getting her to do _things_ and she didn't even know it!

"Forgive me for embarassing you, Kagome-sama, but I cannot. It would be ungentlemanly of me to leave you alone and injured in the dark."

"'Ungentlemanly'? Oh...you're killing me, Miroku, you really are! I can't believe this...are you _sure_ you're really a monk?" Kagome asked in pure exasperation. _"Ouch!"_

Concerned, Miroku craned his neck over his shoulder, even though there was little enough to see in the dark. "What is it?" he asked, still sounding faintly amused.

Kagome's heavy sigh was more like a huff of impatience. "Nothing - just bumped my cut hand...wah, it's _throbbing_...!"

_'Sadly, that's not the only thing that's throbbing around here...'_

"Do you need...assisstance?" Miroku bit the inside of his cheek. _'Control and patience, man, control and patience...'_

_**- - - - - **_

Miroku sounded too hopeful for his own good to Kagome's ears. "No, thanks, I think I got it," she returned dryly.

After a few more moments, and a rustle of clothing, Kagome reappeared, casting a distrustful look the monk's way. He was standing about ten steps away, looking innocent as can be as he stared into the canopy of leaves and starry sky above.

"Were you peeking?"

Miroku didn't look in the least offended by her wary question. "Not at all," he said complacently. He looked from the sky to her and winked. "Of course, one could not be blamed for trying. You _are_ a beautiful young woman, Kagome-sama."

"Oh, I'm not!" she exclaimed, startled, and then cast her eyes to the ground. "I mean, maybe I could be considered 'cute', or 'pretty', but...I'm not beautiful! Not like...not like Kikyou was."

Miroku frowned. "I have not seen seen her, but _I_ say that you are. Not to say your looks aren't part of it, but your loveliness comes from your character, Kagome, from your willingness to be friendly and helpful to all, to your irrepressible cheerfulness. Your kind heart reflects upon the faces of those around you - although, admittedly, InuYasha's stubborn hide is sometimes too thick even for your great benevolence to reach through. That hayou is a veritable _mountain_ of ingratitude."

"Yeah, you're right...but don't think you're gonna' get away with flattering me, Miroku!" Kagome watched him with a cautious eye as she shook a finger at him. "I know what you're up to, monk - you just want me to bear you a son, right? Trying to get in my pants?"

_**- - - - - **_

Miroku was a little shocked by her forwardness, but quickly recovered and said, "I _do_ think you would be a loving mother, Kagome-sama, but I feel I must point out - you are not wearing 'pants'. So, in fact, I am not trying to get _into_ them."

"_Oh_, is that so?" Kagome asked suspiciously.

_And she was right to be...!_

Trying not to laugh, Miroku lowered his head, his face serious. "Of course not." He looked up at her from beneath his lashes, and winked.

"Obviously, I am trying to get _under_ your _skirt_."

Kagome laughed in spite of herself, and Miroku thanked Buddha for the fact that the girl had a decent sense of humor.

After all, it _would_ make it easier to calm her temper in two or three months time when she realized she was 'increasing'.

A _son_...! Miroku could barely keep an excited snigger from escaping his throat at the idea of Kagome, so deliciously soft and feminine, holding a carefully wrapped infant up to _him_, the proud father...!

_**- - - - - **_

Meanwhile, Kagome watched Miroku doubtfully. She supposed it could have just been an odd reflective cast-off from the fire, but the monk had an awfully creepy glint in his eye. He was laughing silently to himself at something, but he looked positively evil, like he was about to commit some kind of heinous crime...

Hmph. Talk about a wolf in sheep's clothing!

The tea kettle whistled, and Kagome automatically got up to retrieve it. Before she even reached for it, Miroku was there beside her, a hand around her wrist, and he gently pushed her down to sit beside him.

"Allow me."

Blinking with the suddeness of his movements, still feeling the warm strength of the hand that had grabbed her wrist, Kagome hesitantly sat down, and watched the monk pour the steaming water into two small cups and add the tea. Though it was just plain green tea from home, Miroku had a very elegant, skillful way of preparing it that never ceased to impress her.

When he handed her the tea, Kagome thanked him and then felt her injured hand give another angry throb. "Mm, I think I need some aspirin."

Miroku surprised her again by bringing her her backpack.

It made her wonder again what he was up to. She wanted to ask him why he was being so kind, but she didn't want to be rude. Besides, he knew she was hurt, and he was kind to just about everyone - even InuYasha, on occaision. Maybe she was just reading too much into it.

Miroku smiled at her, his eyes crinkling a little at the corners, as she thanked him, and Kagome remembered her mother saying how that was a certain sign that a person was predisposed towards kindness.

Feeling a little flutter of excitement as she watched him, Kagome caught herself staring and tried to look away...but those little crinkles _were_ pretty cute...

Suddenly nervous again, Kagome took her time finding her bottle of aspirin, and carefully shook two into her palm. The tea had cooled quickly, and she swallowed them with a long sip.

They sat in silence for a long time, nursing their tea, until a chill night wind blew against Kagome's legs. Once again, she barely had time to shiver before a blanket was tossed over her lap.

Kagome took a moment to appreciate the warmth before she set down her cup and turned suspiscious brown eyes on the monk.

"Alright, that's _it_!"

Miroku looked at her in surprise. "What's 'it', Kagome-sama?"

"You! You're being way too nice! No one is _that_ nice!"

"You are," the monk countered silkily. "Must you be so skeptical, Kagome-sama? Can't you believe I'm caring for you just because I want to? Because you deserve it? Or have you just been around the ever-neglectful InuYasha for too long?"

"Hey, InuYasha has reasons for being the way he is!"

"So do I."

He reached out with his hand and stroked his fingertips up her throat until they rested just below her chin. His middle finger softly teased the underside of her chin, gently stroking as he gazed deep into her eyes.

"S-stop it," she said weakly as her heart leapt in surprise - and something else. "You're just trying to...distract me."

"Mhm. Perhaps you just mean 'seduce you'. Is that it? Are you accusing me of making illicit advances toward you, Kagome-sama?"

Up-close, Miroku's eyes were startlingly clear and the purple-y color made them seem fathomless. Kagome was frozen - the feel of his fingers rthymically stroking her sensitive skin held her mezmerized. It was a sensation that made her unbelievably relaxed and sleepy, yet intensely euphoric at the same time. It also made her recall just how handsome - and _virile_ - the young monk was.

Stuttering hopelessly as her brain began to melt, she finally settled on, "I...I didn't say that. Stop - putting words in my mouth!"

Something flared in Miroku's eyes, and he quickly moved closer, leaning into her before she could back off in alarm.

"Fine, then," he said in a quiet rumble she'd never heard from him before, "I'll just have to put something else in, instead." And he _kissed_ her.

Drowsy and warm thanks to his presence, Kagome kept telling herself she would stop him in just a second...just one more second...but she never did. He just felt so good, his hands were suddenly holding her tight against him, his hands were suddenly all over her skin, caressing, rubbing, purposeful, but oh-so gentle and enticing.

The world around her shrank, and kept shrinking as he continued to touch her, his kiss deepening little by little, until all she could think of was him. Compelled by new emotions and instinct, her hands began to touch him in return.

Miroku's hands began sliding up her waist, running underneath the edge of her blouse - uncertainty welled up in her for just an instant before his thumbs gently brushed over her nipples through her bra and she forgot all about protesting.

She was drowning in sensation when his hands moved down, abruptly and unceremoniously flipping up her skirt. Her eyes snapped open in panic, but then he gentled her with his mouth, whispering low words she couldn't hear against her lips as his palm skimmed over her thighs. The tips of his fingers slowly stroked the sensitive flesh, and then slipped between them.

"Spread them for me," he whispered against her lips, shocking her silly.

But she did.

He murmured approvingly at her helpless obediance, his voice vibrating against her hyper-sensitive lips, and she moaned as he slid his fingertips under her panties, trailing them through the aching heat there with agonizing slowness...it was excruciating!

Unable to hold still any longer, she thrust her hands against him, coming in contact with his hard, trim waist beneath his robes. He sucked in a breath as her fingers brushed against a hard length, and she went giddy with the knowledge that she had affected him in the same way he had her. She found herself pushing and pulling at his robes, fighting until she found a way through the layers of fabric and had him in her hand.

Miroku gasped and trembled as she cautiously but hungrily explored him. He was like nothing she had ever felt before - and she wanted to feel _more_...

_**- - - - - **_

Kagome was panting, lost in his touch, the tip of her little pink tongue caught between her teeth, and in that moment hope sprang in Miroku's heart.

Feeling confident - and not a little desperate - he pushed her thighs wide, and gently fondled her softness again before bravely pushing a finger into the wet heart of her.

Kagome mewled beneath him, her little, soft hand still tentatively stroking his aching cock, and he groaned, pushing in another, moving deeper, harder - and he suddenly, barely kept from releasing a string of obscenities. He hadn't thought that one who dressed as she did could be completely untouched, but apparently he had been terribly wrong. The barrier was very real against his questing fingers.

His sense of honor wavered on the brink.

Closing his eyes as he prayed for control, he let out a frustrated sigh and let his hand slip from her. He could have wept when he pulled his eager cock from within her teasingly gentle grip.

The miko made a sound of protest as his warmth left her, and her eyes flew open.

Miroku looked down at her through heavily lidded eyes, his lips parted as he struggled to regain his breath - _and_ his sanity.

"Oh, _please_..." Kagome moaned, and Miroku bit his cheek until it bled trying to do the 'honorable' thing, and leave her alone, while all he really wanted was to fuck her into the ground until they were both senseless, and nothing in this world mattered but the two of them and what position they would try next.

"Do you know what it is you are asking of me, Kagome?" he whispered in the air next to her ear.

"Hm...?"

Swallowing hard as his control - and honor - began to dangerously slip, Miroku leaned in and kissed her, his tongue once again dampening her soft lips. "I can pleasure you in so many different ways, Kagome, and still leave you virgin."

Kagome's eyes opened, and she looked at him dazedly.

"Miroku...mhm, it _hurts_..." she murmured faintly, hips shifting restlessly.

"I know. Give me the word, and I will help you," he purred into her mouth, tongue flicking - odd, but now, suddenly, he did not feel the least bit shameful...

Kagome moaned again, stretching against him, but not answering.

"If you do not answer me," he whispered in between careful nips, "I will take you...I will take you any way I wish to, have you any way I want to..."

Kagome sucked his tongue into her mouth, and Miroku felt his eyes roll back in his head - and then she released him, and he made the biggest mistake of his life and said _it_.

"Does this mean you are willing to bear my child, Kagome?" Miroku breathed lustily.

_**- - - - - **_

Kagome was drifting along on clouds of pure pleasure when suddenly the bottom dropped out and she hit harsh reality with a painful thud.

"_Does this mean you are willing to bear my child, Kagome?"_

_'Kami-sama...am I tempted...'_

Brushing away the insane stray thought, Kagome sat up, shocked at herself and the situation. This was the last thing she'd pictured herself doing when she'd come back to the Fuedal Era this last time - and definitely _not_ with Miroku!

She brushed her hair out of her face and looked at the monk with a helpless, defenseless expression that had him sighing, and coming back to his senses as well.

As he sat back on his heels away from her, Kagome looked down and saw his...

"Miroku, put that thing away!" she sputtered, yanking down her own skirt.

"Are you certain that's what you want?" he asked soberly, carefully tucking himself away behind the concealing blackness of his robes.

Kagome's cheeks bloomed hot red as she watched him in fascination. The way he handled himself, he was so casual about touching himself there - she just couldn't seem to look away.

It wasn't until he looked up at her again a beat later, eyes cryptic and hot behind the dark spikes of his bangs, hands folded together in his lap, hiding the erection tenting the soft fabric of his robes, that she was able to move her lips in some kind of response.

"Of course it is! Why would you even _do_ that! I - you - _IT_ - !"

"If I may, _you_ are the one who took 'it' out," Miroku said with outrageous calm, though there was a definite edge to his voice that she hadn't heard before. He sounded...dangerous.

She almost swallowed her tongue as she abruptly recalled the hot, velvety hardness that she'd been touching only moments before. Her fingers tingled, her whole hand feeling oddly empty...curious, and hungry for more. The sensation of having held his most masculine, vulnerable part felt singed into her skin. Furiously, she rubbed her hand on her skirt, trying to erase the memory of the touch.

"_I did not!" _she squeaked out indignantly.

Oh, but she had, she _had_! Was it possible to die from embarrassment!

"You most assuredly did, Kagome-sama." He looked at her, and beneath the annoyance in his eyes she could see a dark tenderness which was directed solely at her.

Kagome felt her heart skip a beat. Feeling herself start to soften, she swung away, fists clenched at her sides as she tried to ignore the incredible ache still spreading between her thighs. "Ugh, you're rubbing off on me! I can't believe this! I'm going to _murder_ InuYasha for leaving me alone this long with you-!"

_**- - - - - **_

Leaving Kagome to her childish, self-righteous rant, Miroku closed his eyes and helplessly recalled the passion of moments past.

" - can't believe _I_ let you do that! I must be coming down with something, my cut must be infected, I'm becoming delusional - "

The feel of her innocent, soft little tongue so tenderly yet so fervently stroking his still had him reeling. It was so difficult to talk when all he could think of...was Kagome's body making wicked with his. Hell, it was almost _impossible_ to think - his brain, apparently, had decided to make a permanent move to nest in his nether regions.

" - supposed to be doing this! What would InuYasha say? What would he _do_! This has to be the stupidest thing I've ever - "

Miroku narrowed his eyes, finally looking at her.

"Don't you dare say you didn't like me touching you." Smiling perversely as he abruptly cut her off, Miroku stood and made a small bow in her direction. "I could have had you on the forest floor any time I wanted, any way I wanted, for as long as I wanted to have you - but when I realized you were an innocent, I stopped myself. I was trying to be a gentleman, and leave the choice to you. If you want to pick up where we left off, Kagome-sama, I am more than willing - but do not lie about what you felt when I touched you."

Looking shocked by his abrupt change in attitude, Kagome stared at him, and then looked guiltily away.

"I'm...sorry, Miroku...sama. I - I did feel something...but I shouldn't have. _We_ shouldn't have." Shaking her head, she stared at the ground, shoulders slumping tiredly. "It's just...I think I might be in love with InuYasha."

Miroku swallowed. It amazed him how much that little confession hurt him. He only wanted her body, perhaps her friendship - that was all, right?

Kagome sighed, holding herself. "If only InuYasha hadn't left. If only he wasn't so impatient, none of this would have happened. If only he - "

"'If only he' what?" Miroku snapped. "InuYasha is not perfect - noone, demon, or man, truly is. InuYasha will not change - his mercurical moods won't just go away. You say you think you love him, _but_...? What you feel for him is hero-worship. That isn't love. It sounds like you would rather have the dream than the man, Kagome."

Kagome gaped at him, hurt. "That's not true! You make me sound s-so shallow and selfish! Anyway, you don't have any room to talk!"

Miroku gave a small, harsh laugh. "Yes. I admit I am selfish and shallow. However, I also know that I will die young, Kagome. Is it so wrong of me to take whatever I can get whenever it is offered to me?"

She looked at him, clearly torn between desire, guilt, and pity. "No. I-I guess not...but _I_ haven't offered you anything but my friendship, Miroku!"

Walking close to her, even when she tried to back away, Miroku lifted a hand to trace a fingertip down her jawline. "Haven't you realized yet that my interest in you from the day we met has always been far beyond that of friendship?"

_**- - - - - **_

Kagome thought about that for a moment. Well, he _did_ grab her butt a lot...

"I just thought you were being a pervert!" she answered in protest. "I didn't know you were _serious_ about me!" For a wild second she wondered if he was in love with her.

Miroku dropped his hand and stepped back. "Perhaps you were right, then - maybe it's best that we did not do it."

"W-what? What do you mean?"

"I don't want this - between us - to become something you will come to regret, Kagome." He looked at her with a bittersweet smile. "While I...want you, I _do_ value our friendship. I wish only good fortune and health to be with you always. I don't want to see that part of our connection damaged irreparably - true friendship is a rare thing."

_'So is true love.'_

Kagome was quiet, thinking hard for a long moment before she carefully said in a small voice, "I don't regret anything, Miroku-sama."

Miroku didn't respond right away, though his body was vibrating with tension. She thought maybe she had surprised him. But all he finally said was, "I'm sorry, Kagome-sama. You must be cold. I'll prepare some more tea."

But Kagome didn't want tea! She...she _wanted_...

_Miroku_.

_**- - - - - **_

_**One Day Later...**_

_**- - - - - **_

Miroku set his jaw, feeling a muscle jump in his cheek. "I'm sorry, Kagome-sama, but I'm afraid we must move on," he said as the evening fell around the little group.

"Move on? But InuYasha! We haven't seen him all_ day, and his human night is tomorrow_!"

"What about him?" The monk grumbled savagely, still frustrated by his defeat of the night before. "You know, the weather _has_ been rather dry of late. Perhaps he was waylaid by some desperate farmers. The ancient ancestors used to sacrifice black dogs for rain, you know. Maybe they will make do with him."

"Miroku-sama! How could you say that?"

_Quite easily. _Mirokumentally gnashed his teeth, but inclined his head to her in apology. "Forgive me. It was an ill-timed jest."

"Ha, ha, I think _somebody's jeaal-lous_!" Shippou sing-songed from his comfy perch on Kagome's slender shoulder.

Miroku barely refrained from snarling. He'd been hard enough to pound nails since early yesterday morning, and his patience was wearing more than thin.

"W-what?" Kagome stammered faintly. "Uh, Shippou, stop that! I-it's not nice to tease people like that."

Miroku grunted. "It's not nice to tease people at all," he muttered resentfully under his breath.

"Uh-oh, here he comes!" Shippou warned.

"Who?"

"Who else? _Him_." Shippou yawned.

"Well, I can see it's been raining bullshit _here_ ever since I left," InuYasha growled as he suddenly dropped down from the trees in front of them. He roamed close to Kagome and gave an audible sniff.

"Why do you smell like Miroku, huh?"

Kagome didn't miss a beat. "He bandaged my hand again this morning - and just where have you been for the whole day?" she sniped right back, crossing her arms over her chest as she impatiently tapped one foot.

InuYasha gave her a snarky look. "Gettin' jewel shards, like you shoulda' been doin'! Hope you enjoyed your lazy day, because it's over! I got news of another shard in a village east of here, and we're leavin' _now_!"

"Jerk! How dare you call me lazy! You don't have a clue as to what I've been doing while you were gone!"

Miroku coughed, and Kagome shot him an evil look.

"Yeah, well if ya' weren't gettin' jewel shards, you weren't doin' nuthin' worth while, so that means you were slackin' off, Kagome!"

"InuYasha! _Osuwari_!"

As the hanyou hit the ground, Kagome stood above him and told him just how the evening would proceed. First they would gather things for a meal, he would bathe, because he smelled like whatever demon - or _demons_ - he had just killed, and then he would hand over the jewels he had collected to her for safe keeping. After that, they would spend the night in the camp again and start on their journey fresh first thing in the morning - _after_ breakfast of course.

After much grumbling, InuYasha slunk off to bathe, and Kagome, still in warrior woman mode, ordered Shippou and Miroku to gather more water and firewood.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Shippou began grumbling himself.

"One shouldn't complain about such light work, Shippou-chan," Miroku lightly chided.

"Yeah, you're one to talk," Shippou griped again.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't _work_," the little fox kit said, rolling his eyes. "You just trick people into doing things to get what you want."

Miroku frowned. "Manipulation is an art, Shippou, and contrary to what you may believe, it _is_ very hard work. I've invested years of my life in it."

"Yeah, well not being able to manipulate Kagome-chan so easily must be _such_ a kick in the balls," the kitsune shocked the hell out of him by saying blithely.

Miroku nearly dropped his firewood as he stopped and stared at the fox.

"How much did you see?" he asked.

Shippou snorted. "I didn't _see_ anything - but you guys are sure noisy at night." The kit looked at him with disturbingly wise eyes. "I don't know what you were doing, but if it was anything like my mom and dad used to do, I think you've got a pretty fair chance at getting Kagome."

"Shippou!" Miroku's jaw dropped.

The fox demon shrugged. "Just saying, Kagome must like you a _lot_ more than InuYasha - she _never_ smells like that when _he's _around." Humming quietly to himself, he continued on to the river, swinging his little bucket beside him, leaving Miroku staring dumbfounded after him.

Just then Kagome's exasperated voice broke the silence.

"Shippou? Miroku-sama? Are you coming sometime tonight?" she called.

Miroku broke out of his amazement and heard what she said a little too clearly. He smiled slowly, wickedly.

"'Coming sometime tonight'?" he repeated to himself as he turned back towards the campsite.

"_Kami-sama, I hope so..."_

Miroku felt his heart start to bang against his chest in anticipation. InuYasha's foul mood would keep him far from the camp tonight, and if Shippou could be trusted, he would make himself scarce, too.

Still grinning, Miroku walked into camp just as Kagome bent over her bag, flashing him a wonderous sight.

Pausing, Miroku sighed and looked up at the stars beginning to wink in the night sky.

_'The mercy of Buddha is truly boundless.'_

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The End

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_**A/N: Hi, thanks for reading! Sorry it took so long to get this second part out. But it's done now, and hopefully it will be followed by some more Kag/Mir one-shots in the near future. I really appreciate the reviews! Thanks again! **_

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